


Scars

by BreakfastTea



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Gladio The Great Storyteller, Hurt/Comfort, Summoning Astrals Is Hard Work, When Hunts Go Bad, refs to Brotherhood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-16 05:29:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11822187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreakfastTea/pseuds/BreakfastTea
Summary: A simple hunt becomes complicated when Prompto's hit by a sudden death spell and Noctis takes a heavy blow to an old injury in order to save his friend.





	Scars

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, this one reaaaaaaallly ran away from me. It was, at some point, inspired by the timed mission in which you have to take out 77 coeurls. And then it ran wild.
> 
> (also, I really love poking around in Noctis' past. At some point I'm gonna have to write a father/son fic with Regis. It will probably be fluffy h/c because I can't seem to stop myself...)
> 
> AHEM! On with the story. I hope you all enjoy it!

They pulled in at the Old Lestallum rest stop. Prompto jumped out of the car. “Lunch time!” he sang.

“We should see about picking up a hunt,” Gladio said. “We’re running low on funds.”

“Really? Or are you just feeling the need to kick some ass?” Prompto asked.

“Gladio gets twitchy if he doesn’t slaughter monsters on a daily basis,” Noctis said, climbing out of the driver’s seat. “And we’ve gone a whole two days without drawing our weapons.”

“A miracle for which we are all grateful,” Ignis said.

“All good things come to an end,” Prompto said.

They walked into the diner. Five minutes later they had a meal and a hunt.

“You boys be careful now,” the tipster said. “These coeurl attacks are vicious. Dave told me he’s already lost two hunters.”

“Don’t worry, we can handle it,” Prompto said.

“Make sure that you do. The farmers are counting on you.”

Noctis read the report. Coeurls were hunting near reclaimed farmland. The farmland in the midwest had once been heavily populated, but only a few hardy folks remained out there now, chased out by monsters, daemons, and attacks by the empire. The locals tried to keep themselves safe, but the problem was serious enough for hunters to be called in. The coeurls were vicious. One recent attack nearly claimed the life of a small child. Only his mother’s sword and quick thinking had kept the boy alive, but his injuries had been severe. The report said he’d probably never walk again.

“You okay?” Prompto asked.

Noctis looked up. “Huh?”

“Squeezing that bottle pretty hard,” Prompto said.

Noctis hadn’t even noticed. He relaxed his grip, tendons no longer stark against his flesh. “Let’s get them.”

“Coeurls won’t be too tough,” Gladio said.

“Anything to help the farmers,” Prompto said. “Right?”

“Indeed. We should do all we can to help the people,” Ignis said.

Meal finished, hunt undertaken, they returned to the car and drove to the edge of the farmland. It didn’t take long to track the coeurls down to a field on the edge of dense woodland.

“One each,” Gladio said. He summoned his greatsword. “Let’s do this.”

He was off and running, weapon swinging through the air. Noctis called out his Engine Blade and warped across the field. He found his target and made quick work of it, decapitating it in a single blow.

“Wow, Noct’s not messing around!” Prompto called out. The sound of gunfire drowned out the rest of what he had to say as he too took down a target.

Ignis dispatched one with his lance, piercing the creature through the spine. Gladio took out the last one, cutting it in two.

“Done and done!” Prompto cheered.

“Not so sure about that,” Gladio said. He was at the forest’s edge. “Look at this.”

The others went over and saw an alarming amount of tracks leading into the woods.

“No way these were the only ones,” Gladio said, nudging a coeurl corpse. “Look at how well fed they are. There must be more nearby.”

“If there is a pack out here, taking out four won’t stop the attacks,” Noctis said.

“I agree,” Ignis said. “We should follow the tracks and see how severe the problem really is.”

Gladio grinned. “Nothing like bashing some heads in.”

“That’s our Gladio,” Prompto said. “Always giving into his violent tendencies.”

They followed the tracks through the forest until they came across a large cave, complete with several carcasses piled up a short way in.

One of the bodies was human.

“We’re going in,” Noctis said.

No one argued.

They ventured in, talk at a minimum. The cave’s path wound down, down, down, deeper under the ground. It was tough going, their chosen path frequently narrowing until it was too small for them to traverse. They had to double back in search of tunnels large enough for them to move along.

“The coeurls must use some these smaller tunnels to get around,” Gladio said. “No telling how deep this place goes.”

“If we can’t reach the nest itself, we could always block these off,” Ignis said.

“We should take them out if we can,” Noctis said.

“Right, before anyone else gets hurt,” Prompto said.

“Then I shall consider causing a cave-in a backup plan,” Ignis said.

The deeper they went, the fouler the air became. The stench of blood and rot was stomach churning. Most of what they found were old bones, some human, others animal. But the further they went, the fresher the kills became. The coeurls had left half-chewed on body parts strewn everywhere.

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Prompto said, a hand pressed to his lips.

Noctis looked at his friend. “Need a minute?”

Prompto nodded. A moment later, he vomited noisily. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Noctis said. “It’s not pretty.”

“You’re the master of understatement, you know that?” Prompto said. He pressed a hand to his stomach. “This is a living nightmare.”

“That’s why we need to deal with this,” Noctis said.

Prompto could see the determination written into Noctis’ features. He forced himself to take a few, steadying breaths. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

They carried on down the twisting tunnel, ducking low to avoid cracking their heads on the rocky ceiling. The sound of paws padding nearby had them all on high alert. They had to be getting close.

The tunnel finally opened up into a massive cavern. Noctis stopped dead, the others doing the same. They’d all seen them; Coeurls curled up everywhere, dozing in the aftermath of their latest meal.

“I count thirty,” Gladio whispered. “And that’s assuming there aren’t any others out in the tunnels.”

“Let’s hope they’re all here,” Ignis said.

“Strategy?” Noctis asked, voice low. They needed the element of surprise if they were to win this.

Ignis issued orders. “Prompto, take out any that hang back.”

“Got it.”

“Gladio, keep our exit clear. If we’re overwhelmed, we’ll need an escape route.”

“Understood.”

“Noct, use the Armiger. We need to clear this cave out as soon as possible. Given how dark it is in here, I fear we may also alert nearby daemons to our presence.”

“We’ll take them all out, Ignis, don’t worry,” Noctis said. “What will you do?”

“Back you up,” Ignis said.

“At a distance,” Noctis said.

Ignis nodded, knowing better than to get too close to Noctis when he was wielding multiple Royal Arms. “I’ll take out any that slip through your attack.”

“Alright.” Noctis composed himself and reached out to his Armiger. He now had five Royal Arms to call to his aid. Hopefully it would be enough to take out the pack. “Everyone ready?”

Blue light flashed as the others summoned their weapons. Noctis received three terse nods.

“Let’s do this.”

Noctis threw himself into battle, crystalline weapons shining around him. They caught the coeurls by surprise, slicing them down before many could get up and get going. Gunfire exploded as Prompto took out any too slow to mount an attack. Ignis dispatched any Noctis missed. Gladio, sword swinging, cut down any that attempted to escape. The battle went their way, the coeurls too sleepy and full of their latest feast to mount much of a defence.

Until reinforcements arrived out of the smaller tunnels.

“Don’t lose your heads!” Gladio called. “We can handle this.”

Fully alert coeurls and a horde of imps filled every available space. Noctis wielded the royal arms until his magic ran too low. He couldn’t risk going into Stasis, not in the middle of a fight. He switched back to his Engine Blade and sliced through everything in his path.

“Where are they all coming from?” Prompto asked as he fired off a volley of shots. Five coeurls roared and hit the ground, twitching in death.

“Less chat, more shooting!” Gladio shouted at him. His sword smashed through more of the creatures, the sound of it slicing through flesh and bone ringing through the air.

“We’re seriously outnumbered,” Ignis said, calm despite being smothered in the gore of all the coeurls he’d dispatched. “We should withdraw.”

“No,” Noctis said. “These bastards keep attacking nearby farms.” He kept seeing the bodies that lined the path to the nest. Some were tiny. Children. The coeurls had slaughtered _children_. His Engine Blade swung high, specks of blood spraying across the cave’s ceiling. “We have to take them out. There’s no way we can block off every tunnel.”

Prompto squeezed the trigger over and over again. “We can do this, Ignis!”

“I’ll pin them down with magic.” Noctis summoned a fire spell, the flames shining in his hand. “Fall back and take out anything I miss!”

Ignis and Gladio slid out of range, only for a pack of imps to come rushing down the tunnel. Prompto fired another shot and moved to assist, but an imp leapt up at him and he missed his step, crashing down hard. He cried out in shock.

“Prompto?” Noctis shouted. He couldn’t turn, couldn’t risk taking his eyes off the enemy.

Prompto’s gun answered. He shot the imp dead, but others took it place. But he had another problem. A large, powerful coeurl moved in, its long whiskers whipping the air. Light gathered at their tips. There was something calculating to its movements. It was poised to pounce, but it held itself back.

Noctis felt a distinct cold buzz in the air. Magic. A dark, nasty type.

“Prompto, move! Coeurls have a sudden death attack!”

But more imps danced around Prompto, distracting him from the real danger.

Noctis launched the fire spell into the depths of the nest. The air ignited, burning heat consuming the oxygen. The flames roared, but the dying coeurls roared louder. The remainder of the pack didn’t stand a chance.

Except for the one moving in on Prompto. Its long whiskers twitched. The air chilled further.

“Prompto!” Noctis shouted.

Prompto shot down the remaining imps. He caught sight of the coeurl and raised his gun. But it was already too late. He felt a sudden, awful lurch in his heart as magic pinned him in place. His knees gave way, strength rapidly fleeing his body. Where he had been warm he now felt a bitter, terrible chill. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think. His strength left him.

“No!”

Noctis launched his weapon across the cave. It pierced the coeurl’s back. Warping to catch it, Noctis wrenched the sword out of the coeurl’s spine and buried it up to its hilt in the coeurl’s head. The creature died instantly, its half-completed spell sputtering away to nothing.

“Prompto!” Noctis crashed to his knees at his friend’s side. Prompto was unresponsive, his skin ashen. The life continued to drain from him. “No, no, no. Hold on.”

“N-Noct, I’m so cold.” His eyes rolled back.

Noctis had seconds left. He jammed a hand into his pocket and wrenched a Phoenix Down free. He channelled his magic into it, pressed it into Prompto’s hands and watched him jolt back to life with a gasp.

“Stay there,” Noctis said. “Catch your breath. You –”

“Noct, look out!” Gladio roared.

A coeurl, fur alight, launched itself across the flames. It was a final, desperate attack. The creature was mad with pain. He reacted instinctively, grabbing Prompto and shielding him with his body. The coeurl’s claws raked Noctis’ back. His breath caught in his throat, the pain ripping through old scars. Too breathless to cry out, he let adrenaline guide him. Engine Blade shining in the firelight, he delivered a wicked blow. He met resistance when he hit the coeurl’s underbelly, but he didn’t let it stop him. Putting all his strength into the attack, Noctis drove metal through fur and flesh. The coeurl’s death rattle sounded out as the last of the imps died under the combined force of Gladio’s greatsword and Ignis’ daggers.

“Are you two alright?” Ignis asked.

Dismissing his weapon, Noctis looked to Prompto. His friend was horribly pale, his teeth chattering, his skin radiating a painful cold, but he was breathing. “Prompto?”

Prompto’s eyes were hooded and unfocused. He gasped, his voice hoarse like he had a heavy cold. “Can’t get warm. What happened?”

“A death spell,” Noctis said. “You’re gonna be fine.”

“We should get out of here,” Ignis said. “We’ll seal the entrance, too. Just to be safe.”

“Can you stand?” Gladio asked Prompto.

Prompto responded by passing out.

Ignis checked his pulse. “We need to warm him up. The spell drained him.” He looked at Noctis. “You reached him just in time.”

Noctis nodded. “Let’s get him out of here.”

He tried to stand. His back ignited, pain grinding all the way down his spine and into his legs. His knees gave out and he hit the ground with a cry. The agony didn’t relent, radiating and pulsing like something continued tearing through his flesh.

“Noct, what is it?” Ignis asked.

He couldn’t catch his breath. He had to force both words out. “My back.” He pitched forwards. Ignis grabbed him. “That last coeurl hit me.”

“Shit,” Gladio hissed. “That’s not a hit. You’re bleeding.”

“It’s where it got him that worries me,” Ignis said. “These cuts are deep, and – ”

Noctis flinched where Ignis’ hands touched him. Ignis’ words faded behind a rush of blood pounding through Noctis’ ears. His vision bubbled and fuzzed. He almost blacked out, clinging onto consciousness through sheer force of will. Gladio handed him a potion and he knocked it back. It put the thinnest of scabs over the wounds, but that was it. The pain was unrelenting.

“Take Prompto,” Ignis told Gladio. “I’ve got Noct.”

“No, I’m okay. I just need a second,” Noctis said, despite agony cascading through him. It wasn’t letting up, wasn’t settling into a background ache he could deal with. Breathing hurt. How was he going to walk? Whatever the coeurl had done, the damage had awakened old, old wounds.

But it was a price worth paying to save his friend. Noctis looked a Prompto. His friend was pale, unconscious, and shivering, but alive. That was all that mattered.

“Prompto’s gonna be fine,” Gladio said. “We’ll bundle him up and he’ll sleep it off. But your back, Noct. It’s not good.”

Noctis knew that. He hadn’t felt this kind of pain in years, the way it radiated out of his back and down his legs. He gritted his teeth. He had to walk out of here. It was Prompto they had to worry about, not him. They had to be certain the spell had no lingering effects.

“We’re heading out,” Ignis said. “We need to take it slowly. The potion has limited the bleeding, but – ”  he broke off. “We need to get back to the car.”

Accepting Ignis’ help, Noctis made it halfway upright before doubling over in agony. The world faded and for a moment he couldn’t remember where he was or who he was with. All he could hear were screams of the dying and the roar of a huge, sword-wielding daemon…

“– One step at a time, alright?”

Ignis’ voice cut through the memory. Noctis nodded. Hunched over like some wizened old man, he shuffled forwards. His wounds pulsed with every breath he took, threatening to split open and bleed anew. But still, a modicum of relief flickered through him. He could still walk. It hurt, but his legs held. Looking up, Noctis watched Gladio lift Prompto over his shoulder.  

Gladio hissed. “Damn, he’s freezing.”

“He is breathing, right?” Noctis asked, his voice weak and trembling. “Prompto’s –”

“He’s asleep,” Gladio said. “Relax, Noct. He’s better off than you are right now.”

“Sorry,” Noctis said. “We should’ve blocked the cavern off. We didn’t need to do this. I didn’t think it through –”

“We all agreed to this. People’s lives were at stake, and enough have been lost already. Don’t take the blame upon yourself,” Ignis said. “This had to be done.”

“We could’ve done it better,” Noctis grunted.

With Ignis at his side and Gladio leading the way out, Prompto over one shoulder, Noctis hobbled out of the cavern network. He forced himself not to look at the remains of the dead, choosing to take comfort in the knowledge that no one else would be left down here. By the time they emerged into open air, night had fallen, bringing with it a cold rain and a harsh wind. His back throbbed mercilessly, old aches and new wounds scrambling for attention. Thankfully, the car was parked close enough to see at the end of the field.

Until an Iron Giant emerged from the shadows, blocking their view and the path to the Regalia. They ducked back into the cave, keeping out of sight.

“Dammit,” Gladio said. “There’s no way we can take that thing on right now.”

“Can we circle around it?” Ignis asked.

“Maybe,” Gladio said. “But if we do that and it doesn’t turn away, it’s gonna see us the second we go for the car.”

“We can’t spend the night in here,” Ignis said. His eyes flicked between Noctis and Prompto. “We need a plan.”

Gladio grunted. “Maybe – ”

Pressure grew in Noctis’ skull. Whispers in a language he barely understood filled his ears, drowning out whatever Gladio and Ignis had to say. An Astral sought to assist them. He didn’t know if it would be Ramuh or Titan. Whoever it was, they wouldn’t be put off for long.

Noctis drew himself up to his full height, ignoring the screaming agony in his back. “I’ll distract it. You two get Prompto to the car. I’ll catch up.”

Ignis and Gladio turned to stare at him like he’d said something monumentally stupid.

“I can do it,” he said.

“How?” Ignis demanded.

Noctis gave a lopsided smile. Or maybe it was a grimace. Hard to tell. “I’ll put in a call and see who answers.”

Ignis didn’t look relieved. “But summoning in your condition…”

Noctis waved off Ignis’ concern. “There’s no other option.” He looked at his friends. “Get Prompto to safety. I’ll take care of this.”

Noctis forced his aching body out of the cave and into the open. The bitter rain smacked against his wound, each droplet an acidic kiss. Hot blood rolled down his back, movement tearing the slashes open. Noctis clenched his teeth and moved forward. He had to. This was their only option.  

He drew in a deep breath and shouted. “Hey!”

The Iron Giant swung around to face him, its immense sword up and swinging. Instinct and training saved Noctis. He threw himself to the side, adrenaline cushioning him against the pain as barely scabbed over wounds burst open again.

He watched Ignis and Gladio, with Prompto in tow, race around the Iron Giant’s blindside and make for the car.

Perfect.

Noctis answer the Astral’s call. The sheer power it took drove him to his knees. Incandescent light gathered around him. He looked up and saw Titan looming.

The Iron Giant didn’t stand a chance.

Ground shuddering beneath him, Noctis watched Titan’s huge attack level the daemon. With its opponent dead, the Archaen faded away.

He took Noctis’ strength with him.

Falling to his knees, blood loss and pain battling to get the better of him, Noctis drew on his last reserves of strength to carry onto the car. His friends wouldn’t be safe until they were driving away to the nearest haven.

Noctis got his feet under him and moved. He staggered onwards, eyes on the car. Every half-step, limp, shuffle and stagger took him closer.

Three steps to go, Noctis’ legs gave out on him, the pain in his back too severe.

Hands grabbed him.

Gladio.

“Sorry, kid, but we gotta move.”

Gladio lifted Noctis. He attempted to be gentle, but nothing would be gentle enough for Noctis’ shredded back. Noctis cried out, vision exploding in bright flashes of colour and static.

“Hang in there,” Gladio said. “Don’t pass out.”

“Easier said than done,” Noctis said, words slurring into a mess. His battle was over. Titan had done his job. He wanted nothing more than to pass out and worry about everything else later.

“Try harder.”

They made it to the car. Gladio eased Noctis into the back seat where Prompto was slumped against the door, a blanket tucked around him. Noctis reached out to him, grabbed one wrist and checking for a pulse. It was there, strong and steady. Relief washed through him. Prompto was alive. That was what mattered.

Gladio launched himself into the front passenger side. “Drive,” he told Ignis.

The car lurched forward. Noctis’ back hit the chair and ignited. It was too much. His consciousness fractured and fell away.

* * *

Prompto snapped awake, the dregs of some hideous nightmare sliding away as he shot up in bed. Panting for breath, it took him a moment to realise he was in a real bed, buried under several blankets. He looked around and saw that they were staying at the Old Lestallum motel.

“Nice of you to join us.”

Prompto looked over and saw Gladio seated at the small table, book in hand.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay…” Was he? Prompto gave himself a mental once over. He wasn’t in pain and his head felt remarkably clear, like he’d had the best night of sleep of his life. “When did we get here? Uh, how did we get here?”

“Yesterday. Do you remember the hunt?”

“Hunt?” The pieces of his memory coalesced. “The coeurls!”

“One of the bastards used its sudden death attack on you.”

Prompto stared at Gladio. “If this is the afterlife, what are you doing here?”

Gladio rolled his eyes. “You’re fine.”

Prompto laughed softly. “Seriously though, how am I alive?”

“Noct took the coeurl out before it could finish the spell.”

“Really? I don’t remember any of that.”

“Nothing?”

“I remember finding the nest and then…” He probed his memory. “Yeah, nothing.”

Gladio leaned forward in his chair. “You hungry?”

“Uh, yeah, actually.” Prompto’s stomach gave a hungry gurgle. “Where are Ignis and Noct? Getting breakfast?”

“No,” Gladio said. “They’re in the room next door. Noct… he… it’s his back.”

“His back?” Prompto frowned.

“He took a hit. Set off an old injury.”

“Old…” And suddenly Prompto was thrown back into a memory of school and the early days of their friendship when Prompto was still getting to know the guy beneath the title of _Crown Prince of Lucis._ They’d been in the locker room, changing after PE. Noctis always changed in the same corner, always facing out despite how red his cheeks would get at having to undress in front of a crowd. The other guys would stare, like Noctis was somehow physically different to the rest of them. Prompto didn’t get it until the one day, when it was just them still changing, and Noctis turned around for a brief moment. That was when Prompto saw it.

The scar.

Prompto tore his eyes away before Noctis saw him staring. But try as he might, Prompto couldn’t forget it. It wasn’t some trick of the light, some strange interplay of light and shadows. Noctis’ back had been slashed from the right shoulder all the way down to where the puckered flesh disappeared beneath his waistband. Prompto never asked about it, never probed, because of course he remembered the news stories about the attack Noctis had survived all those years ago. Even his parents, on one of their rare stopovers at home, had expressed dismay and worry for the injured prince. Prompto had simply never put the news reports and his _best friend_ together until that moment in the school’s changing rooms.

“You still with me or do you need more sleep?”

Gladio’s voice called Prompto back to the present. “Will he be okay?” Prompto asked.

“Yeah. He just needs a day. It happens sometimes. His back plays up and he has to take it easy.”

There was something in Gladio’s voice, something forced and unnatural. Determined to find his friend, Prompto leapt to his feet, only for the room to turn around him. Gladio was there in a heartbeat, gripping Prompto’s arms to keep him upright.

“Take it slow,” Gladio said. “Death spells are nothing to mess with.”

Prompto stared at his bare feet. “It’s gonna take longer than a day, isn’t it?”

Gladio deflated. “Yeah. Probably.”

“Were you… I mean… do you… did you…”

“Spit it out, Prompto.”

“When he was hurt. As a little kid. What was it like? Noct never talks about it.”

“Would you?” Gladio released Prompto and returned to his own seat. “At first they couldn’t wake him up. He was in a coma. The doctors said it was because of the blood loss. He barely survived. He’s only here because King Regis arrived in time.”

Prompto fell into the other chair. “I had no idea. Not really. The news back then… it didn’t go into detail.”

“If Noct won’t tell you, you’ll have to ask Ignis for the finer details if you’re really interested.” Gladio rescued his book from the floor and slid a marker in-between the pages.

“I’m not trying to pry!”

“Yeah, I know. Noct’s not one to share, is he?”

“Not exactly.”

Gladio chuckled. “Ignis says he was a typical, hyperactive kid before it happened. Said you’d hear him before you saw him. But that attack hurt him badly. Really badly. He couldn’t walk. Damage to his spine. Damage to his muscles. He was in constant pain. They kept him dosed up, but everyone was prepared to hear he’d never walk again. They even adapted my training, in case he’d be wheelchair bound for the rest of his life.”

Prompto’s heart quivered. “I never knew that.”

“You wouldn’t. It wasn’t made public, and Noct probably wants to forget it. Besides, the king refused to accept it, so he took Noct to the only person who could help.”

“The Oracle. Lady Lunafreya’s mother?”

“Yup. That’s how Noct and Lunafreya met. He stayed in Tenebrae for a while. The Oracle, Lady Sylva, healed him better than any doctor could. But then Niflheim attacked.”

“And Lady Lunafreya’s mother died.”

“Yeah. King Regis did the only thing he could do; grab his son and run for their lives. By the time they returned to Insomnia, Noct could walk again. Not much at first, but it was a huge improvement. As soon as he was strong enough, he began training with me. But I had to be careful in those early days. Wounds like that, no matter how good the healing, linger.”

“And now he’s been hurt in the same place again.” Prompto looked up at Gladio, hoping the tears gathering in his eyes weren’t too obvious. “It’s my fault, isn’t it?”

“What? No way. Don’t start with the self-pity. It was an accident. We all agreed to go into that nest. The coeurls are dead. The farmers and their community are safe. Would you rather we hadn’t and they were still being picked off, one by one?”

“No!”

“We’re all alive and people are safe because of what we did. Focus on that.”

“Right.” But it was hard, knowing his friend was hurt. What if he’d been quicker? What if he hadn’t been distracted by the imps? He could’ve taken out the coeurl before…

“Prompto.”

He met Gladio’s intense gaze.

“You even think about blaming yourself or getting all Angsto on me, I will knock it out of you.”

Prompto blinked. “Angsto?”

“Yeah. Angsto. I ain’t interested. Neither’s Ignis, and Noct’s got the whole silent brooding thing cornered.”

Prompto laughed before he could contain himself. “That is so true.”

Gladio got to his feet. “Come on, get dressed. We’ll grab some food and check in with Ignis and Noct.”

* * *

A soft knock on the door roused Ignis from his newspaper. He put his coffee down and went to the door. He cracked it open and found Gladio and Prompto on the other side.

“Morning, Ignis,” Prompto said. His smile wasn’t as radiant as usual, but he’d regained all of the colour he’d lost. “You alright?”

“Fine, thank you. What about you?” Ignis asked. He stepped aside to let the pair in. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, all good, I promise.” Prompto reached up to scratch the back of his head. “Kinda don’t remember any of it.”

“That’s not unusual,” Ignis said. “Noct’s still sleeping. Summoning Titan got us out of there, but it wiped him out.”

“Titan?” Prompto asked.

“You really don’t remember?” Gladio asked.

“Not a thing!”

“Impressive.”

“How is he?” Prompto asked Ignis.

“The wounds are healing slowly, but they aggravated old scar tissue. He’s been in some pain.” Ignis thought it best to not go into detail about how Noct had openly wept at the agony he’d been in. It had taken all of Ignis’ potions training, and magic Noct hardly had the energy to wield, to come up with something that had negated it. “We might be here a day or two.”

“That’s fine,” Prompto said. “Taking a break isn’t such a bad thing, is it?”

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Ignis asked. He looked Prompto over, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. The colour had returned to his cheeks and he moved at his usual pace. “You must speak up if anything’s amiss.”

“I’m fine, I swear. I guess I really did just sleep it off.”

“Yeah, for twenty-four hours,” Gladio said.

“What? Twenty-four hours? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You didn’t ask.”

“But –”

“Keep your voices down,” Ignis said.

“Sorry,” Gladio said. He raised a bag with the Crow’s Rest logo emblazoned across it. “Anyway, look, we brought food and you have been up with him for hours. Go next door, eat and sleep. If we need you, Prompto will come by.”

Ignis wanted to argue. His eyes landed on Noct, fast asleep and resting on his stomach to keep the pressure off the wounds. His jacket and shirt was gone, crisp white bandages in their place. The old scar stood out, harsh and gnarled like a strange root buried under flesh. Ignis remembered how Noctis had wept as a child anytime anyone went near the wound. They hadn’t wanted to hurt him, but the injury had gone deep. _A miracle he wasn’t cut in two,_ one of the doctors had said. _Keep him still. Distract him._ And Ignis had tried his best every time, even when nothing took Noctis’ mind off the excruciating pain. But that was then. Noctis’ injuries this time were nasty, but nowhere near as severe. Ignis could do no more, and it would do the group no good if he exhausted himself into illness.

“I’ll get some sleep,” Ignis said. “If he wakes up, I’ve left out some potions.” He nodded to the coffee table where three bottles waited. “If he needs to get up, one of you will have to help him. I –”

Gladio clapped his hands down on Ignis’ shoulders and pushed him towards the door. “We’re good. Don’t worry. Go. Eat. Sleep.”

Ignis retreated to their other room. He ate the breakfast roll quickly, hungrier than he’d realised. Stomach full, he pulled the curtains, stepped out of his shoes, placed his glasses on the bedside cabinet and slipped beneath the covers. He closed his eyes and drifted off immediately, too tired not to. He awoke four hours later, his alarm buzzing nearby. Glasses on, he washed up in the bathroom, pulled his shoes on and returned to the other room. He found Prompto dozing on the room’s second bed, Gladio asleep with his head tipped back, book open on his lap, and Noctis…

“Shh,” Noctis said. He was upright on the edge of the bed. “Don’t disturb them.”

“Are you alright?” Ignis asked.

“Yeah, fine. You?”

Ignis could see the sweat peppering Noctis’ hairline and the hot red flush burning in his cheeks. “Fine, thank you. Did you need something?”

Noctis blushed redder still. “The bathroom.”

“Ah. Can you stand?”

“No.”

Ignis took Noctis’ hands. He noted the unpleasant heat within them. “We’ll take this slow.”

“Not sure I’ve got time for slow,” Noctis said.

“Ah.”

They shuffled at top speed into the small bathroom.

“Some privacy, please?” Noctis asked.

“Are you sure you can –”

“Ignis! Seriously, get out.”

Ignis stepped out and closed the door. He made himself busy, checking to see that Prompto wasn’t feverish or otherwise unwell. The younger man stirred awake.

“Ignis?” Prompto frowned at him. “Did you sleep?”

“Yes. It’s been a few hours.”

“Oh.” Prompto blinked. “Wait, where’s Noct?”

“In the bathroom.” Ignis looked at Prompto. “Do you need some more sleep?”

“What? No.” Prompto chuckled. “I didn’t exactly mean to fall asleep again.” He sat up and stretched out, joints popping and cracking.

The toilet flushed, followed by the sound of running water. Moments later, the door opened and Noctis shuffled out. He held the doorframe in a deathgrip, his knuckles white.

“Noct!” Prompto beat Ignis to it, leaping out of bed and grabbing Noctis’ arms. “Are you okay? Where do you wanna go? Back to bed? Shall I help you walk?”

“You’re okay, Prompto?” Noctis asked. He squeezed his friend’s arms. “You feel alright? No side-effects? You feel warmer than you did...”

“Me? I’m fine, thanks to you. Not that I remember anything. I just slept a lot is all. I’m –”

“Oi.” Gladio’s deep voice rumbled from across the room. He cracked open one eye. “Take a breath, Prompto.”

Prompto sighed. “I’m fine, Noct, thanks to you. I’m sorry about your back. I should’ve –”

“Not your fault,” Noctis said. “But, uh, could you help me?” His whole body slumped. Prompto could feel the heat of Noctis’ skin, sensed the tension running through him as he fought to stay on his feet. “I need to sit down.”

“Right! Yeah, come on, let’s get you back to bed.”

Prompto helped Noctis cross the room and settled back in bed. Ignis was there with a potion. Noctis sighed but drank it anyway.

“I don’t like these,” he said. “They make me fuzzy.”

“You need rest,” Ignis said. He took the empty bottle and joined Gladio at the small table. “The sooner your back heals the better.”

Noctis slumped. “I know.” He sighed into his pillow. “Hate these flare ups.”

“I’m sorry,” Prompto said. “This is my fault. If I’d –”

“No,” Noctis said, voice firm. “Not your fault. It was an accident. Stop blaming yourself. Besides, I have a bad back. Nothing anyone can do about that.”

“But –” Prompto stopped himself. “I had no idea,” he said.

“About what?”

“Your back.”

“Oh. It’s not so bad these days because I’m not getting any taller.” Noctis’ smile was taut, but Prompto didn’t know if it was because he was in pain or the memories were unpleasant. “No more growing pains.”

Prompto winced. He remembered his own bouts of growing pains. “Ouch.”

“I tried not to miss school. Wouldn’t look good if I skipped out.”

“Sometimes you didn’t have a choice,” Ignis said.

“It’s not skipping out if you’re in too much pain to move,” Gladio said. “You should’ve seen this idiot, Prompto. They’d tell him not to put too much strain on his back, but would he listen? Tch, the shit he would get up to.” He looked at Noct. “Remember that one winter?”

Noctis’ eyes opened wide. “No. No way. Do not tell that story.”

“Ooh, what story?” Prompto asked.

“How old were you?” Gladio said. “Thirteen?”

“You swore, Gladio! You – ah!” A twinge in his back rendered Noctis silent.

Ignis leaned back in a chair, smiling to himself without missing a beat. “Ah yes. The kitten incident.”

“This has to count as treason,” Noctis muttered darkly.

“Kitten incident?” Prompto asked.

Gladio settled himself into a good storytelling position. “Young Prince Noctis was meant to be going for dinner with his dad. And not just any dinner. There were guests from neighbouring countries visiting. Important people who expected to meet both the King and the Prince, as is tradition.”

Noctis sighed into his pillow. “I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

Gladio chuckled and carried on. “And these dignitaries had to travel through the worst winter in decades to reach Insomnia. The blizzards that year were unbelievable.”

“Oh yeah, I remember!” Prompto said. “It snowed so bad we couldn’t get out the house. My parents couldn’t get to work for days.” It had been one of the best weeks of his young life.

“Noct loved the snow,” Ignis said, picking up where Gladio left off. “No one could get him out of the gardens. And that day he thought he could make an igloo.”

“And I would’ve finished it, if not for the kittens,” Noctis said. “Fine. I found three kittens huddled under a bush. They looked so cold. I picked them up and tucked them into my coat to warm them up. But then I saw another kitten.”

“There were four. Plus the mother,” Ignis said.

“And the mother cat scoops up its last baby and runs off,” Gladio said. “Through the gardens and into the Citadel’s maintenance area. Noct knew he wasn’t supposed to go alone. He’d gotten himself into enough trouble the last time he’d wandered off down there.”

“I found Iris, didn’t I?”

Gladio ignored him. “But he takes off his coat, tucks the kittens up in it and runs off.”

“I didn’t want the kittens to be left without their mother,” Noctis said. “I wanted to catch her so I could bring her and all her babies inside where it was warm. And safe.”

“So what happened?” Prompto asked. “Did you catch her?”

“Uh, no.”

“The mother didn’t need to be saved. She was a survivor. And she really, really wanted her babies back,” Gladio said. “The way Noct told it, she was half-daemon.”

“She was! She tried to claw my face off!”

“She certainly lured him into a field of battle more advantageous to her own skills,” Ignis said.

Gladio laughed in agreement. “Anyway, I’d been sent out to find this idiot – ”

“I went along because I knew where he’d be,” Ignis said.

“And what do we find? Noct, leaning out over the edge of a walkway in the Citadel’s waterworks, reaching for the most pissed off cat I have ever seen.”

“And by leaning, Gladio means Noct had climbed up onto the hand rail,” Ignis said. He held his hands a scant inch apart. “He didn’t stand a chance.”

“I could balance just fine, thank you. Maybe if you two hadn’t been shouting at me, I would’ve have been distracted.”

“You were in trouble long before we said anything,” Ignis said.

“There’s a massive drop beneath him into a reservoir,” Gladio said. “A freezing cold reservoir not meant for swimming at any time, but definitely not for taking a dip in during the middle of the worst winter we’d ever lived through.”

“Which is why I wanted to help the cat,” Noctis said. “What if she fell in there?”

“The cat’s perched just out of reach on top of a fountain generator. The mother cat’s got one kitten in her mouth, but you knew just by looking at her that she’d get the other three back by any means necessary. And her kitten stealing nemesis is right in front of her, reaching out to grab her.”

“Help her,” Noctis said.

Prompto guessed where the story was going. “Oh, no.”

“Oh yeah,” Gladio said. “So while Noct’s leaning out, whispering all sorts of sweet nothing’s to this damn cat, she drops her one kitten and launches herself at his face.”

Prompto gasped. “No!”

“Not only does he manage to fall right off, he cracks his back on the handrail as he goes,” Gladio said. “You couldn’t plan to fall that way even if you tried.”

Prompto winced. “Ouch.”

“The next thing we hear is a scream and a splash,” Gladio said.

“Gladio and I went down a nearby ladder,” Ignis said. “We couldn’t see Noct at all. And that water was cold. Bitterly cold. It was well on its way to freezing, and Noct had fallen in.”

“Both of us are trying to figure out ways to explain to King Regis how his son drowned trying to grab a cat,” Gladio said.

“Some of us were calmer than others,” Ignis said, nudging his glasses up his nose.

“We hear Noct before we see him. He’s splashing around, coughing and spluttering, but he makes it out of the water,” Gladio said.

“And the cat?” Prompto asked.

“Miaowing above us. She didn’t fall even fall. She’s got her kitten and she’s dashing back towards the garden,” Gladio said.

Prompto’s mouth jumped open. “No way!”

“Yeah. Meanwhile, Noct’s soaked through and barely responsive.”

“Until you picked him up,” Ignis said.

“Right. I pick him up and he just screams the whole place down.”

“Manly screams,” Noctis added.

“He’d injured his back in the fall,” Ignis said.

“We were worried about hypothermia,” Gladio said.

“Which sucked, by the way,” Noctis said.

“But the real problem was his back. He’d aggravated that old injury,” Gladio said. “All for that a cat who, for the record, gathered her kittens and took them into the Citadel’s kitchens all by herself.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Noctis muttered. He rubbed his eyes tiredly. “I only wanted to help.”

“How long did it take for you to recover?” Gladio asked.

“I dunno, a week or two. The hypothermia didn’t help. It’s not like I thought it would end that way!”

“Yes, there was a distinct lack of thought,” Ignis said.

“Was not.” Noctis looked at Prompto. “I had to help.”

Prompto smiled. The knot of tension squeezing inside him unravelled. “Yeah, I know you did.” He saw some of the tension leave Noctis, too. “If the cat could understand, I’m sure she’d have been super grateful.”

Noctis smirked at Gladio and Ignis. “See? Prompto gets it.”

“Thankfully, due to the weather, Noct didn’t have to miss any school,” Ignis said.

“And King Regis explained what had happened to his guests. They took pity,” Gladio said.

“They sent a lot of plushy cats as Get Well Soon gifts,” Noctis grumbled. He yawned, fighting to keep his eyes open. “Don’t like cats that much.”

“And you got out of PE and training for a month,” Gladio said.

“Wait…” Prompto said. “That happened in high school. Especially in our senior year. We’d have PE and you’d go off to the library. Said it was extra credit work for history or whatever.” Another memory occurred to him. “You missed all of PE in the winter term of senior year. Was that –”

“Growing pains.” Noctis yawned again. He was fighting a losing battle against the potion. He knew that particular concoction all too well; it was the same one he’d always had to take when his back flared up. He tried to respond to Prompto in more detail, tried to tell him winter was always rough on his old injuries and that last year of school had been the worst because of one final growth spurt, but the words tangled and tripped over themselves on their way out. His friends blurred before him, the sounds of their voices breaking down into nonsense. He eased himself onto his stomach. Moments later, the medicine and his own exhaustion dragged him back into the depths of sleep.

With the story told and his best friend fast asleep, Prompto leaned back thoughtfully. “So what you guys are telling me is I’m the cat.”

Gladio snorted. “Sure, if you like. But at least you didn’t try ripping his face off.”

“What other embarrassing stories do you two have?” Prompto asked. “There must be loads. Tell me!”

“It would be unfair to share such information when Noct isn’t awake to defend himself,” Ignis said.

“Or I could tell you about the time Noctis managed to sleepwalk into a council meeting,” Gladio said. He grinned broadly. “In his chocobo pyjamas.”

Prompto cackled. “Tell me everything!”


End file.
